Chris Egan and Vaun Wilmott – Dominion

By starrymag | June 18, 2014

Q) Can you both start by telling us how you became involved in the show from the beginning?

Vaun: Yes, the producers of Legion, the movie Legion, were this company called Bold. And David Lancaster was the executive producer of that and he had carved out the TV rights to Legion so that once it came time to decide if they were going to do a sequel to it or if they were going to do a TV show or what they were going to do they decided to do a TV show. And they went out to a bunch of writers. They had some writers come in, basically pitch them on how they would do a TV show of the movie Legion. And I heard about it through my agent. I came in, I pitched on it, really hit it off with the Bold folks and David. They really kind of responded to the way I was seeing it. I met with Scott Stewart who was the director of the movie and also the co-writer of the movie Legion. And I got the gig. And so that’s kind of how it all began for me.

Chris: for me I was approached my managers. There was a few things I was looking at, a few different scripts. And I heard about this one through managers that – the same management company – they rep Scott Stewart. And they sort of brought it up to me and discussed it and I’d sort of – had a look at the script and it fascinated me straight away. Definitely wanted to get on the call with Scott and Vaun and just talk through the idea and where the series was going to go. And I was very impressed with Vaun’s vision, Scott’s vision for the pilot, where they wanted to take the story and where they were going to take Alex. So I was just in that presentation, in that call with both of them – I was complete blown away. And I loved the idea that we were taking this to Cape Town, South Africa as well. To me, just sort of felt that it was – they were really taking this seriously. We weren’t just sort of going off to Vancouver or somewhere local that we were really going to take this production somewhere that was really special. And yes, I was totally blown away by it.

Q) How much of the mythology from Legion is going to be in the series? Is it completely going to be the same mythology or have you changed things?

Vaun: It was definitely the starting – the jumping off point. But for the TV show it’s definitely expanded and changed and there’s all kinds of new stuff. It was – Legion was definitely kind of our foundation and then from there the show grew into its own thing with new rules, new terms, new angels, new – you know, new mythology, new mythology for the chosen one. Then of course for the TV show, you know, a whole new setting, all new characters with just a couple of the characters from Legion moving into TV show, the baby growing up to be Alex, Michael, Gabriel, Jeep. But it’s definitely become its own thing in terms of the TV show, Dominion.

Q) Kind of a walk through as to what this world of Legion now Dominion is, like, 30 years later and certainly, Chris, you can do it from your character’s perspective as well.

Chris: I mean for me, watching Legion – I mean for those that are fans of Legion this will be a whole new story and for those that haven’t seen Legion it’s – it really is a whole new world 25 years in the future. The world of Vega and this fortified city and the land is desolate apart from these fortified cities. It’s a completely different spin to the movie.

Vaun: Yes, I think that in terms of what the world is like versus – 25 years in the future, it’s got contemporary aspects, it’s definitely grounded. It’s definitely a big what if what if angels appeared in the sky? What if this actually happened what would life – or what could life be like? So it’s not an alternate reality. It is very much based in what could have happened and Vega has a lot of giant casino hotels that could actually be perfect for housing people if need be. And we use all of that to basically create this new city, this new civilization, built a wall around it as Chris said to protect this from the angels. But it will definitely be a recognizable world in terms of things we know. But it will also have things, I think, that the what if aspect of the storytelling.

Q) What about Alex’s kind of rebellious nature and kind of talk about that a little bit?

Chris: Yes, well, I think – again, like what – in the interest – in the story is that hero’s journey that he takes to discover himself, to discover who he is. And that’s sort of between being a man and the responsibility that’s laid on his shoulders to save mankind. From that beginning and the pitch of the story for me was so interesting and where that was going to go. And I think we establish that in the pilot but then as the episodes come on it gets crazier and crazier and the relationships around him are redefined between Michael and Claire and really it’s about which path is he going to take as a man to realize and understand his calling in a sense upon his life.

Vaun: Yes, I’ve always loved characters that have a strong point of view and who really either something’s thrust on them or that they didn’t expect or didn’t want or something’s asking them to change in a way that’s uncomfortable for them. And they fight against that like John Conner in the Terminator. Characters that either have something about their personality that fights against what’s being done to them or they just have had – Alex’s journey ahs been a tough one. And so he’s had to take care of himself, he’s had to survive. So that rebellious nature has actually kept him alive. But now he’s being asked to do something that he didn’t expect, that he didn’t ask for, it becomes a trick like – what is that rebellious nature going to do in terms of how he handles that destiny that he’s been given. And I think from a character point of view that’s where all of the fun of the storytelling comes in. And we get to watch Alex go through really the thing that we all watch characters for, which is just growth and change. We want to see what they’re going to do. And that’s what’s exciting for me about Alex’s character, about Chris’s character.

Q) Chris, how do you like Twitter? Do you plan to live tweet along with the show when it airs?

Chris: Twitter’s one of those things that took me a while to really grasp, I think, just the world is changing so quickly. And I think sitting in that conference call, with all the actors and everyone’s explaining Twitter and how important it is. And it really is a whole new world out there. And this is how we promote the show. And I just realized, every actor has turned to me and every single person had Twitter except me. And it was kind of like – have to jump on board. So I walked away from that conference call learning so much about Twitter and I had producers give me a nudge every week. And so eventually we got there, we got there. Now I’m addicted, now I love it, now I love tweeting, overly tweeting.

Q) Can you talk a bit about the specific scene that inspired your pitch for continuing the film story for TV? And what’s been the most surprising or challenging aspect or aspects of bringing it to TV?

Vaun: Okay, on the first part, that’s an easy one. For me when I saw the movie Legion I really – when I saw two brothers, Gabriel and Michael fighting over this baby and having very different perspectives on what should happen to that baby and what that baby means, that was it. I mean I just immediately saw the series because I thought that baby grows up, 25 years later he’s a grown man, what’s happening to him now, what are the two archangels doing, what are they up to. And that’s where it began, that’s where I started building out the series. And the one thing about that is that in series we don’t – I don’t track kind of Gabriel and Michael’s point of view in the movie Legion with – like in the series, it kind of became its own thing. But for me that was definitely the starting point for the series. And in terms of the kind of what is the most surprising or kind of the most difficult thing, I got to say this has been one of those crazy projects that has been, like – just a blessing in terms of – it just came out of me. From the moment I started working on it and I wrote the initial script, I had this weird state that I went into that I ended up writing the original script in four days. My experience at the network has been wonderful, like, from beginning – top to bottom, all the way through. It really has been getting Chris on board, getting the cast, the actors we did, filming – filming in Cape Town. It was just a crazy good experience. So for me it was just a – one joy after another. And I think that the most – the really – it’s really just been a gigantic learning curve. I just – the amount that I’ve learned about storytelling, about show running, about managing a crew and a set and interacting, interfacing with the network and the studio, I mean it’s all just been a fantastic incredible learning experience. I learn every day.

Q) Chris, Alex and Michael seem to have a complicated relationship. How will we see that evolve throughout the season?

Chris: I’d like to think there’s a Star Wars element to this, the teacher, the student, and those roles that reverse, you know. It’s a great relationship and it is constantly getting redefined. Alex is constantly learning more about Michael, and Michael is learning more about Alex. So it’s – it grows. It’s constantly growing and as Alex is, you know, struggling with this responsibility and learning about the tattoos and learning about his destiny it’s – it gets tense with Michael and then, you know, it’s back on track and it’s this back and forth that’s – it’s been really wonderful. And really wonderful to play with Tom as well, the actor who plays Michael. It’s just been fantastic. He’s a great actor and – yes, it’s a great relationship.

Q) Vaun, will the action primarily occur in Vega or will we be moving on to other cities as well?

Vaun: In the first season we’re very much based in Vega. It was important to kind of, like, establish that world, establish all the characters, establish – Dominion kind of the series. But definitely in future seasons we’ll be expanding out to New Delphi. We’ll learn what the camp is, the camp is a city that moves, which is very mysterious. We don’t really know much about it or who they are. So we will definitely explore the world and the world will grow out with each season as we go. But for the first season it was kind of important to orient the audience I think in the world of Dominion and then Vega so we didn’t kind of overwhelm right up front. And so that was kind of – that’s definitely was the focus for the first season.

Q) What are your personal beliefs when it comes to angels? I know that this is a fictional story, but how did your personal or religious beliefs play into this?

Vaun: That is a great question. It’s interesting, two things. One is the show is very much nondenominational. I always intended it to actually not make a statement about religion. I really view the angels, Michael, Gabriel, and all the other angels as literary characters, storytelling characters, as interesting as – super natural characters. As interesting as vampires and werewolves and ghosts or anything else that we use that’s being used in genre right now. So for me it was very much about just simplifying it, just seeing it as a literary creation. There’s a God and that God has angels and these angels are doing X, Y, and Z in this story. For me, I have my own personal faith but it isn’t like I grew up fascinated by angels or had that be a focus of my religion. I definitely have my own personal faith but for me, this show is purely for entertainment, purely for storytelling purposes, and they don’t really intersect with my own personal beliefs other than the way that all storytelling is informed by what you believe in all ways, not just in your religious beliefs. The themes you’re interested in, the things that attract you to characters of the story but for me, those two things are separate.

Chris: It was a great answer, Vaun. I agree with Vaun and – yes, I mean I have my own personal faith and I think really it’s about – there’s a greater good. I’ve always been very fascinated with that outer world like with Kings, we took a biblical story, we made it modern day. Now we’re taking angels that are in the bible and we’re putting them into this world. So with mythology is – has – it interests me and I want to know these guys, I want to – you know, discover their world. But yes, I mean I have my personal faith but this story, I mean it resonates with me and I think – as an actor and as a person – maybe I don’t quite understand subconsciously why I’m so attracted to it and what it is the – message in this story, what we’re trying to say. But yes, I think it hits on all those points.

Q) Will we be seeing any other sort of beings coming into play during this series? Will a God or a higher power or anything that can kind of rival these angels be coming into play during the series as it develops?

Vaun: There definitely will be new and exciting angels, new additions and expansions of the mythology. So yes, but those will all be spoilers if I were to say anything now.

Q) I’ve come across a lot of people that are prejudging the show because they were a bit disappointed with Legion, they found Legion to be just kind of a monster, shoot them up. How do we sell the show to these people?

Vaun: I think the most important thing to sell to people is that really give it a shot. If they have interest in genre, if they have interest in super natural anything, if they have interest in angels or just good characters and drama to give it a shot because it really is its own thing. It’s not called Legion. It’s called Dominion. So, yes, that would be great. I think that’s – for me, I don’t know what Chris thinks but that’s – I think that’s the best way because it really – for the quality of Dominion really is its own thing. And I think people will – I think people will hopefully embrace it.

Chris: Yes, I think – yes, everything Vaun just said. I think essentially this is a hero’s journey, this is a hero’s story, this is Alex, this is his discovery of himself. And really it’s about taking the audience with him. I mean I watch Legion and I think I would like to think people would be – I think people are going to be pleasantly surprised. It really is a completely different world to where the movie is at. And, of course, being 25 years in the future, I mean it just – it really is – yes, it really is far from the movie, yes.

Vaun: One thing you can say is, I saw this on some comments board, Buffy was a movie that some fans loved, some fans didn’t. And then it became a very new and different show that was very popular that people really loved and embraced. I think they’re two separate things. Personally I liked the movie. I saw Legion and I was a very attracted to it and I thought it was well done but in terms of our show it’s just – it’s really is its own thing.

Q) I understand that David Peterson created a language for Dominion. I was wondering how much this language will speak to in the series?

Vaun: David Peterson is an absolute genius and the stuff that he creates is just incredible. And he did, he created a language called Lishepus for the angels and we do – we feature it here and there depending on – you know, where it’s kind of the most dramatic and the best used. But it definitely is going to be in series. We don’t – we try not to have it be, like, used in an entire scene where you’ve got giant blocks of dialog being said in it. But we definitely utilize it and when we do it sounds cool. David is amazing.

Q) Your show, About a Boy for NBC, and also Fargo, which had an incredible episode by the way, next to last episode last night. What do you think about being part of this and why do you think we’re seeing this mini spell of movie adaptations or movie expansions if you will?

Vaun: I think that networks and studios are looking to pre-brand, you know, a TV show or anything that they’re doing right up front. They want to get that built in awareness and that built in recognition from the audience. So, it kind of eases its way into the marketplace. It starts from a base. Certainly Fargo is a perfect example of doing that. I mean the show has a beautiful symmetry between the look of the movie and the look of the show. I think it all comes down to storytelling. For me, it wasn’t that we had to do Legion as a TV show. It was something in Legion that attracted me to it and then all the other people that have worked on it and that kernel that I spoke about earlier was there that just seemed right for a TV show. And so that was the jumping off point and that’s how we did it. I think as you’ll see – I mean I haven’t seen About a Boy or some of those other examples you used, but sometimes you use a little bit of it and it kind of is a jumping off point like ours or sometimes it really is a continuation of the movie. It’s all pre-branding an audience awareness I think are the two main reasons why networks are doing it right now. So it’s good to have underlying material I think. They feel like they’re hedging their bets if they do that.

Q) Chris, any similarities you see between this series and Kings? Kings was a very highly thought of show. It did have a short life on NBC, but I know a lot of people still remember your role and that series very fondly and definitely in terms of the ambition the show brought to it.

Chris: Yes, no, again, I mean thanks for bringing up Kings. I loved Kings, it was a fantastic series. But again, that same thing, boy becoming a man, that burden that’s been put on his shoulders to carry the fate of mankind that’s resting on his shoulders. And that question of – is he going to run from it or is he going to sort of follow his destiny. I’m really attracted to that sort of story and both – yes, it’s – it just – both of those stories just – I’ve loved it. It just feels very, very Kings for me and it’s got a similar theme.

Q) I was wondering if you could talk a bit about some of the special effects and maybe the stunts and things like that that are used in the show?

Vaun: We have a really great VFX vendor, Spin – the name of the company is called Spin. They’re located in Toronto. And they do special effects for Game of Thrones and a bunch of other really – some high-end movies. They’re just really, really talented people. We had someone who was on the pilot with us the entire time from Spin and the same within the series. And I think the special effects, the angel’s wings, the flying, the fighting, all of the stuff we’ve got going, the cityscapes of Vega, I think people are going to be really surprised by the quality of the special effects on Dominion. In terms of the stunts, we have a really great stunt team down in Cape Town and in terms of the action – I mean Chris can speak to training with them because he did a lot of training in terms of preparation for his action sequences. But I mean they’re really just top notch, top notch stunt people. Don’t you think, Chris?

Chris: Yes, no, these guys were great. It was a great stunt team and, you know, the training was – training was full on. I mean I think before we started the series they just wanted to test our agility and endurance and made us – run around 20 blocks just to see how – see how our bodies worked. I don’t have wings in it but watching Tom fly off on those wires in those scenes it’s just fantastic. I’m just hoping Vaun can write something where I’m attached to a wire and I get to fly around like that. It’s great. So, being good with a gun, being good with a sword—these guys understood the importance of it, so there’s a lot of sword training, a lot of firearms training. We really wanted to keep it tight.

Q) Vaun, I had kind of a Planet of the Apes moment when you first see Vega. It sounds like you talked about it a little bit. Is there’s some CGI and is there a lot of green screen or did you guys also have practical sets built as well?

Vaun: We actually used a mix of both but we have – we did build a lot, that was one of the advantages of going to Cape Town was – the level of crew was really high in terms of their talent and experience, but also in terms of what we could build, how far our dollars went. So there’s a lot of – and where we could – Scott Stewart who was a director of the pilot, he was the founder of a special effects house called the Orphanage, one of the founders. And so he’s a real genius at special effects and he’s just a really talented guy. He used to always say to me real is better. Whenever you can point your camera at something real is better. So we built a lot of sets but, you know, we also had Spin working for us and they could create unbelievable vistas and landscapes and buildings and so we did a lot of that as well. And then of course wherever there’s angels flying sometimes, we do something more practical with the wires or we use green screen and those as well.

Q) Chris, can you kind of describe Alex’s relationship with Claire? It sounds like it’s also kind of a complicated kind of thing.

Chris: Yes, Romeo and Juliet. And really it’s that great unattainable love. Their love is full of tribulation. And the responsibility – and I mean the pilot – really Alex just wants to get out of Vega. He’s got the love of his life, he’s got his family. He’s just ready to get out and he’s over the system, he wants the freedom. But then there’s sort of the – what happens in the end and the responsibility and this great calling and then there’s a responsibility that Claire has to Vega and we go into that back and forth. They take that road so sort of discovering themselves, discovering responsibility that they both have and I think it’s going to be interesting to see where that goes.

Q) Chris, I’m wondering how you found the experience of working so intimately with Roxanne McKee, both as a cast mate and as a scene partner?

Chris: She’s fantastic and she’s so strong. She plays that strong woman. She was fantastic and fantastic to work with. There was great chemistry, the natural connection between the both of us. And it’s a great love story. It’s a really great love story.

Q) Vaun, you mentioned Buffy earlier, certainly American genre fans have a fond affection for Anthony Head be it his work on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Can you talk a little bit about working with him and what he’s brought to the series as a cast member? And Chris, maybe you could talk about him as a scene partner?

Vaun: Yes, I think,  Tony Head is just – he’s Tony Head. He’s so funny, he’s so talented, he’s smart. Yes, I mean the guy just – he pops off the screen and I think the Buffy fans will be really interested to see him in such a different way because he plays such a different character than he did on Buffy. David Weel is this rakish and manipulative, charismatic, articulate kind of power broker. I think it will be a big surprise for the fans of Buffy and Tony Head to see him in Dominion. It’s really a whole new – it’s a whole new Tony.

Chris: I agree with Vaun. I was very lucky to have him. He’s fantastic. He’s just an absolute professional and working with a great like him, you learn a lot, you learn a lot from these guys. And yes, he’s fantastic.

Vaun: On Dominion we really lucked out. The level of cast that we have on the show is just a cut above, just amazingly talented group of actors that bring a heightened world to life with a real legitimacy. Just as a fan, when I watch the dailies and watched the episodes I really – I just believe it. I believe what I’m seeing and that’s a testimony to really great actors.

Q) Just am following to what you were talking about for Tony Head. I think one of the most shocking things for people who have seen the first episode is Tony speaking with an American accent. Was that a conscious decision to have him do an American accent since we usually don’t see that from him?

Vaun: Yes, the – it’s funny. I think I’ve seen a little bit of that on comment boards. But yes, I think that – the whole idea was that it was set in America, it was the west – the western States of America, the – it’s called the Cradle, which is what’s left of what know of humanity. And so it was important to have it be American characters. The funny thing about the show is I don’t think we have a single American on the cast. I think that the entire cast is either British, Australian, or New Zealand, I think is the breakdown. But yes, Tony, he’s an American on it and he does a great accent. He sounds the part.

Chris: Yes, he’s got that – he’s got that politician thing down so well. I mean watching him do that speech in the pilot, it’s like – yes, it’s like he’s got the politician thing.

Vaun: He really does.

Q) What’s the thinking behind having these very specific social structures and people unable to move between them?

Vaun: I think it basically was a system that General Rysen created at the beginning basically at the founding of Vega when they were still fighting the war against the eight balls and the angels. They were quickly trying to build a wall at the same time as fighting off these onslaughts of these eight balls. So it was a chaotic time and they needed a way to kind of give everybody a job, give everybody a designation, give everybody a way to pitch in and be classified. It was a very military system that Rysen used. It was called the V system for Vega, the V one through six. And each level had a different designation in terms of what it means and who’s in it. But then, like all systems that start out intended to be one way and often become something else, that happens. Over time you have the elites getting entrenched, taking control of more and more of the resources of the city installing themselves as senators, as basically the fat cats of the city. And then everybody else kind of below them getting kind of further and further cemented into their V system or their V level and not being able to move about.  So I think that’s one of the great conflicts in the season and in the series will be certainly in Vega, which is what is right and what’s wrong and what’s happening to the people and is it fair? I think Claire certainly represents a very different point of view than her father in terms of believing that it needs to change whereas he is very much fixed in – although he recognizes that it did get warped and it did get – just – it did get – I’m blanking on the term, but it became distorted basically over time. He’s not really willing to get rid of it. But that was the thinking at the beginning. It was definitely created for survival and then overtime just unfortunately became – it turned into something else.

Q) You’re talking about the caste system and everything. Now that we know who he really is,will he to some extent maybe move up or is he going to continue for most of the series to hide since nobody else knows anyway?

Vaun: I’m sure we can both answer that. From, you know, my point of view, he’s got bigger fish to fry because of what kind of landed on his shoulders. But certainly we clearly see in the pilot, he does not like the system. He hates it. He wants to escape it. And who knows, I mean down the line we’ll get to see if he does anything about that as part of his journey and that’s just something that we’ll learn as we go. But I’m sure Chris can speak about that from a character point too.

Chris: Yes, I think it comes down to that saying, with great power comes great responsibility. I think we’re going to see that struggle, that constant struggle with himself and with his relationships around him. And by the end you’re really going to be left with that – will he – what’s going to happen? Is he going to leave? Is he going to join? With the relationship with Michael, where does that leave us? Is this – he really goes on this – he goes through stages and he makes sacrifices and it’s really about someone owning that calling on his life.

Q) Vaun, you were talking about learning a lot starting with the process of this show and everything. Chris, is there certain things you’ve learned since you started filming this show that you can think of?

Vaun: Wow, so much. I mean look – just putting words in people’s mouths and hearing how they sound live and hearing how specific characters and actors bring very intricate and distinct styles and humanity to each character, that’s one of the most interesting things that I’ve learned about how to calibrate that. Also, just kind of the realities of filming a show and how fast we move. It takes your breath away. The speed with which everybody’s working on these TV shows it’s an endurance run and you really realize quickly, like, what works, what doesn’t work, what can you film, what can’t you, what is affordable, what is just something that we would love to do but we can’t because it’s not practically since – possible or the – we can’t find the location for it or – you just – it’s – for me, it was a total immersion in the reality of making TV. And all the millions of little choices you make on a daily basis to make it happen. But for – as I said earlier, the learning curve has been wonderful, it’s just – it’s been an amazing experience.

Chris: Yes, I mean I think we’ve all, as a cast as well, just really come away learning about ourselves and our character because. We just couldn’t wait to read the next episode. I mean it was the writing and, just from the pilot, what it does, it just gets so crazy and I think we were all so invested in it, as a cast we were just so in love with the writing.But it was some crazy hours and some long days because the material was so good and the writing’s fantastic, just the scenes that we got to do together, we really took something from it and I think we all felt – it just uplifted and encouraged and – it was an amazing experience.

Q) Because you said about waiting to read the script, how far in advanced did you guys know what was going to happen for your characters?

Chris: We had a lot of changes that were happening. Some rewrites and we usually get about a week with an episode. So it was very much like sneaking into the makeup trailer or sneaking into the AV trailer because someone’s got the next episode. You want to read it and they’re not releasing it yet and you’re like, but no. Even getting to episode, the very end episode and the real finale and I want to know what happens next. I mean it really leaves the audience with a lot of questions and where are we going to go next. So, I just can’t wait.

Vaun: Full disclosure, Chris was the one, the actor with the stickiest fingers of all.

Q) Vaun, it sounds like a lot of planning went into this series before it made it. As far as what’s ahead, how much do you have planned out as far as this season and possibly beyond?

Vaun: When I wrote the pilot I spent about six weeks working on a series document that broke down the first three seasons in detail. And then another three series after that – three seasons after that in, you know, kind of more macro. And one of the main kind of spines through the series is, of course, Alex’s journey and the stages that he goes through – through each season. I’ve got loads of ideas, loads. So yes, we have all kinds of stories to tell for many seasons for Dominion.

Q) Chris, you wear some cool outfits I’ve seen so far. What’s it like with the costumes that you wear on the show as Alex?

Chris: That blue man outfit, that soldier outfit I wear, it’s a great costume and you just feel like a kid again and playing dress up. But they just keep adding so much to it. I mean now I’ve got a knife and I’ve got something else and I’m waiting for maybe some grenades. I mean it’s a lot of gear to put on but it’s – it’s a great outfit. I’m often doing, like, pushups maybe before scenes just to get, like, warmed up and to loosen myself. They’re just adding so much stuff, it’s just getting heavier and heavier. And so I’m waiting for the second season, I’ve got a full camping gear on my back. No, it’s great. We’ve got a great costume designer. Neil was just fantastic and I know the girls too were really happy with their dresses and he’s just done a fantastic job.

 

*CONFERENCE CALL*